Blog | Push Pull Service in Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, and East Bay | Bay Area Bin Support

Read our blog to learn more about the latest push pull service news, posts, Oakland and Bay Area waste/trash discussions, and more.

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February 27, 2022

Why would a property manager or property owner need push pull service?

In recent years, garbage companies have started charging apartment and commercial properties expensive additional fees to bring dumpsters and waste containers out to the street and to the garbage truck to be emptied. Since garbage trucks typically can’t fit down narrow alleys, underground garages or other tight spaces where dumpsters are typically stored, waste containers must be brought out to the street manually resulting in distance fees (also sometimes called push fees, elevation fees or hard-to-reach fees).

In some Bay Area cities, push pull fees can range from hundreds to thousands of extra dollars per month for the garbage company to move a cubic-yard sized dumpster bin from an underground garage or trash room out to the garbage truck to be emptied. These extra fees and can quickly add up and send a customer’s trash bill soaring significantly impacting the bottom line.

The Bay Area Bin Support will pull out your dumpsters and garbage bins out to the curb on garbage day and place back. Bay Area Bin Support field techs will bring all trash, recycle and compost cans, dumpsters and compactor bins out to the street in preparation for collection service by the local garbage company. Whether the bins are stored in trash rooms, underground parking garages, in the rear of the building, up several floors or down long alleyways, the team will expertly move your bins out to the curb and placed back shortly thereafter. The team is trained on transporting and handling bins safely and securing bins on various terrains and slopes and areas with limited curb space. The team is trained and equipped to manually bringing smaller bins out to the curb or using the necessary equipment for heavier compactor dumpsters.

As added value, a light cleanup service is also included as part of push pull service. Bay Area Bin Support will make sure chutes are closed while bins are out on the street, bin lids are properly closed to avoid overage charges, and trash spillage is swept up and properly disposed of in the appropriate waste container.

Bay Area Bin Support will report, and coordinate missed or delayed pick-ups, broken wheels or lids, missing containers and other issues directly with the garbage company on behalf of the client. The BABS customer service team keeps clients updated every step of the way. These phone calls can save property managers and their staff an enormous amount of time.

Hiring a specialized vendor like Bay Area Bin Support provides significant cost savings and many other benefits. Bringing Bay Area Bin Support onboard to provide push & pull service will reduce the liability of having the maintenance team, site manager or tenants do the strenuous work and potential injury and frees up time for janitorial staff to focus on the other issues on the property aside from trash.

Bay Area Bin Support assigns employees to specific routes so that the same team services a client property week after week. The field techs quickly become very familiar with a property’s waste program and can quickly alert the office if something is amiss or provide service recommendations based on ongoing observations.

Property managers may not always be aware if bins are continuously overflowing or being underutilized or if tenants are placing incorrect items in bins leading to contamination notices or refused pickups by the local hauler. Bay Area Bin Support will keep an eye on the onsite waste program and quickly alert the client if there are contamination issues, illegal dumping, or if the property would benefit from signage, reminders for tenants or adjusting the waste program.

Bay Area Bin Support keeps city ordinances and regulations in mind while helping clients figure out the most cost-effective solution to meet the waste needs on their property. When space constraints or storage location becomes a challenge for a property manager, the company will help clients figure out what size bin(s) or combination of bins and collection frequency will work best for their space while still meeting the minimum City usage requirements.

Bay Area Bin Support also works to make all parts of the process as invisible as possible. In most service areas, bins are pulled out to the curb the same morning as collection service instead of pulling bins out the night before service and having the containers sit outside all night. This practice helps reduce illegal dumping, scavenging, trash spillage on the street and overage fees. Bay Area Bin Support continuously monitors and optimizes routes so that client bins are out on the curb for the least amount of time as possible. The goal is for the bins to be curbside before the sun comes up and pushed back in before tenants even leave for work. This is dependent on the hauler collection schedule of course. This enhances curb appeal and reduces potential liabilities.

We look forward to becoming your partner in push pull service. Call today: 1-888-920-2467.


February 26, 2022

Why would a property manager need trash room or trash enclosure cleanup?

A sight no property manager wants to see: Trash bins overflowing onto the street, trash spillage from overflowing chutes, strewing garbage everywhere as the wind blows. Bulk items, such as television monitors and old chairs left in the area. Large cardboard boxes not broken down for recycling. It’s not pretty, and worse, it’s not healthy. Once tenants or residents see this, the complaints to a property manager or landlord begin.


Trash rooms can quickly get overwhelmed when bins overflow or trash spillage occurs. Sometimes properties experience a surge in trash and cardboard volume due to an apartment move-out or move-in, holidays or other unexpected reason such as a missed pick-up. Trash can accumulate very quickly in the span of a few days. Property managers and site managers can call the Bay Area Bin Support team for an on-demand trash cleanup service to quickly get their trash area back on track.

The Bay Area Bin Support team will clean and clear up your trash room, trash enclosure, trash chute rooms or any other trash storage area on your property as a stand-alone service or as part of push and pull service.

Cleanups include sweeping up the trash room or trash enclosure, moving bins and containers out of the way for a thorough cleaning, ensuring all waste bins are being fully utilized, compressing waste or redistributing the overflowing waste to emptier containers of the same waste stream, breaking down and bundling cardboard, separating bulky items away from the regular trash and bagging up the extra trash. If the client has authorized it, bulk items are hauled off. The goal is to leave the trash area spotless. After the cleanup is complete, bins are placed back in correct locations and before and after photos are promptly emailed to clients.

Taking it one step further in helping property managers and owners, Bay Area Bin Support will also send service level recommendations based on onsite observations. Clients may benefit from a different bin size, quantity of containers, or different collection frequency. The Bay Area Bin Support customer service team will call the local hauler to figure out different pricing scenarios and find the best pricing option available for our clients based on their service needs. Recommendations are then presented to the client.



As new multi-family and high-density residential properties come to Oakland, it becomes increasingly important for onsite and facilities managers to provide comprehensive waste management, recycling services and education to assist residents in complying with current laws, and to keep Oakland clean.


Post Helpful Signage


Post helpful signage in trash enclosure areas to encourage tenants to sort recycling, compost, and landfill waste correctly with minimum contamination. Make sure your tenants have the correct tools and information to recycle correctly by providing and labeling containers. Distribute informational brochures and hang up posters in common areas to help tenants identify the materials that are recycle or compost.


Schedule a Bulky Pickup


Contact your local garbage company if they offer free bulky pickups in your city. Some garbage companies offer at least one free bulky pickup per calendar year and multifamily properties may be eligible based on the number of units in the building.

This is a good time to encourage residents to gather large items that they wish to dispose of and helps avoid having these items pile up around the property. Large bulky pickup items can include furniture, appliances, tires, electronics, carpets and scrap metal.


Inform Tenants of Free Hazardous Waste Drop-off Facilities


Encourage tenants to properly dispose of hazardous materials and chemicals by posting and distributing hazardous material information and how to properly dispose of hazardous waste. Contact the Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste Program for a list of accepted items, facility drop off locations and upcoming drop-off events. www.stopwaste.org


Rental Property Owner Business Program

Multifamily Household Hazardous Waste Disposal

There is a new free hazardous waste service for residential landlords to dispose of their tenant’s waste. Call the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) at 1-800-618-6942 to apply for an EPA ID. In many cases, EPA ID numbers can be assigned over the phone.

Most common consumer building maintenance products are accepted: adhesives, painting, cleaning, auto, garden, propane, batteries, and fluorescent bulbs. Other more industrial products may be accepted after a consultation.

Learn more


Provide Sufficient & Easily Accessible Recycle Containers


Provide tenants with sufficient indoor recycling and compost containers and place them in convenient locations that can later be taken to the waste common area. It is much easier to encourage recycling and composting when the containers are easily accessible and stored in convenient locations. Make sure to post signage so that tenants know which items can be recycled or composted.


Communication


Send regular emails or newsletters informing and reminding tenants about the recycling and composting efforts on the property. If you find the landfill volume decreasing on your property, follow up with tenants to share the results and encourage them to continue their recycling efforts. Include information about local drop-off events, upcoming bulky pickups, and local facilities for hazardous waste drop-off.


Hire a Push/Pull Company


A local company like Bay Area Bin Support not only brings your containers to the curb on the day of service but also provides a free cleanup in the bin storage area or trash enclosure to keep your property clean, organized, and free of rodents and odors. Bay Area Bin Support monitors recycle contamination, usage levels, post and maintain signage in the enclosures, offer suggestions and alert you of any waste issues on your property.

Give us a call today to learn more. 1-888-920-2467.



December 13, 2018


As we approach the end of 2018, we recommend property managers and owners consider scheduling a bulky pickup at their multifamily property to help residents get rid of unwanted items and begin the New Year with a clean slate and a clean property!


Most cities offer residents and multifamily properties some type of free curbside bulky collection service. If you manage a multifamily property, we recommend checking to find out what your city offers.  Some cities offer more than 1 free bulky pickup per year! Please make sure to check on the specific instructions for bulky pickup collection service in your city. A Google search such as “bulky pickup + city” will usually lead you directly to the local waste company’s website with specific instructions for bulky pickups in your city.



Most Bay Area cities will offer a free bulky pickup service for the following properties:

  • Residential
  • Multi-unit or multifamily
  • Apartment complexes
  • Townhouse
  • Duplex, triplex and quadruplex
  • Condominiums


What is bulky pickup collection service?


A bulky pickup is when large items such as mattresses, appliances, furniture and other sizeable items are collected from your property by the local waste company. Most cities will offer at least one free collection per year. It is a great way for residents to dispose of large, unwanted items that can’t easily be thrown in the trash.




If it’s free, why aren’t more people using this service?


Coordinating a bulky pick-up can be time-consuming: scheduling the collection, communicating with tenants, meeting with a waste company for a site visit, organizing the setout logistics, this free service can be a bit overwhelming.

However, the extra time spent setting up a bulky pickup may be well worth the effort. You will help your tenants get rid of unwanted items that may be cluttering the property including storage areas and trash enclosures. Bulky pickups can also help you keep waste volume down at the property and help avoid expensive overage/overflow fees that are often tacked onto the garbage bill when trash containers are overflowing. As anyone who pays the garbage bill well knows, even just a few overflow penalties a month can lead to hundreds of dollars in extra fees on the garbage bill.




What types of items can be included in a bulky pickup?


  • Mattresses
  • Appliances
  • Tires
  • Scrap Metal
  • Electronics (e-waste)
  • Carpets or rugs
  • Household furniture
  • Non-hazardous trash items



What types of items are NOT accepted in bulky pickup?


  • Hazardous waste, such as gasoline, oil, paint, certain household chemicals
  • Items over a certain weight limit (typically over 75 or 100 lbs.)
  • Rocks, dirt, or concrete

How much bulky items can be picked up?


In Oakland, CA, multifamily properties receive 1.5 cubic yards of free bulky pickup per unit per year. For a 20-unit property, that is 30 yards of free bulky pickup service! Find out more at www.oaklandrecycles.com



For Existing Bay Area Bin Support clients:

In partnership with the City of Oakland, Bay Area Bin Support clients can contact us to coordinate your bulky pickup and assist with onsite support and coordination.

Call 1-888-920-2467.



December 1, 2018

If you are a property manager or owner, we recommend communicating with your tenants early to ensure proper disposal of Christmas trees after the holidays.


Bay Area Bin Support recommends taking the following steps to avoid a huge post-holiday headache in January:

1) Start communication with tenants early.


Be proactive and send out communication in early to mid-December with instructions for tenants on how to properly dispose of trees after the Holidays and exactly where to place them. Don’t wait until after Christmas to begin telling tenants what to do with their trees. Existing clients, can email or call Bay Area Bin Support for a communication template for your tenants for Tree-cycling instructions.

Most Bay Area cities will offer a free bulky pickup service for the following property types:

  • Residential
  • Multi-unit or multifamily
  • Apartment complexes
  • Townhouse
  • Duplex, triplex and quadruplex
  • Condominiums

2) Designate a tree disposal location on the property.

Post signs in the common areas and trash enclosures letting tenants know not to dump trees in the dumpster bins. Designate one location on the property where all tenants should drop off their trees. Pick a spot and make sure that everyone knows they should bring their trees out to the designated location by a certain date. This will help you to avoid expensive overage fees for unwanted items in the dumpster bins or finding trees in random spots around the property.


Communicate to tenants or move trees out to curb?

We Can Help!

Existing clients can email or call Bay Area Bin Support for a communication template for your tenants for Tree-cycling instructions or schedule to have us bring your trees out to the curb for collection. Get in touch today!
1-888-920-2467[email protected]



3) Find out the holiday collection schedule from the local waste company


Most cities collect trees curbside and will provide a collection schedule and instructions on their website. A simple Google search “holiday collection schedule + city” or “city + Christmas tree collection” will usually give you the holiday collection schedule as well as information regarding holiday tree pickups and any other special pickups provided by the city due to the holidays. This way you know the dates that trees will be collected in your city and any special instructions to pass on to tenants including the LAST DAY OF FREE TREE PICKUPS.


4) Give tips on the best way to prepare the tree for pickup.


Remind tenants to remove all tinsel, ornaments, nails, and tree stands. Trees should not be placed in bags. Flocked trees (trees with fake snow) cannot be recycled. In some cities, flocked trees may be collected. Make sure to find out how your city handles flocked trees. It is good to remind tenants that whether it is collected by the city or not, a flocked tree will end up in landfill instead of being recycled or composted.



5) Call Bay Area Bin Support to help you!


New and existing clients can call 1-888-920-2467 to make arrangements. If the Christmas trees on your property are all in one designated location, our Bay Area Bin Support team will bring the trees out to the curb for collection for you. We want to take this headache off your plate. Call us to make arrangements.



Oakland’s Tree Recycling Schedule


In Oakland, CA, a separate collection truck will pick up Christmas trees free of charge until January 18, 2019. Property managers should designate one specific location on the property for tenants to dispose their Christmas trees to avoid trees unexpectedly showing up in different areas of the property including dumpster bins resulting in expensive overage fees. Bay Area Bin Support will bring trees from the designated collection area out to the curb for our clients.

Wishing you Happy Holidays from the Bay Area Bin Support team!






Bay Area Bin Support also covers another part of garbage disposal that typically has fallen to property management, landlords or maintenance staff. “Anyone who is familiar with a garbage enclosure in a multifamily residence knows that by the end of the week, the dumpster areas are a complete mess,” says co-owner Nancy Fiame. “Trash begins overflowing, garbage spills over on to the floor and garbage just keeps piling on. Some people don’t break down boxes properly which decreases the space in your containers for other items. Garbage companies typically do not have time to offer cleanup service. We do at Bay Area Bin Support.”

WE CLEAN UP AROUND YOUR BINS

BEFORE: Bay Area Bin Support arrives, bins often look like this picture below.

AFTER: Bay Area Bin Service ensures that all bins are organized and overflow is placed properly in the bins prior to moving to the curb.

ORGANIZED AND CLEAN

To address that absent cleanup service, the Bay Area Bin Support team includes it at every push/pull site. Team members pick up any debris on the floor and put it inside the appropriate bin. Trash is pushed down as much as possible to avoid overflow charges. The dumpster areas are swept, cleaned up, straightened up and left free of debris. The Bay Area Bin Support team also closes the garbage chutes while the bins are out on the curb and opens them up after the bins are back in place.

CALL US TODAY AT 1-888-920-2467 FOR A FREE ONSITE ESTIMATE




Did you know that your local garbage company might offer a couple of free bulky pick-ups a year for large items? Or that you have several garbage bins but only a few are getting filled each week? Perhaps you would benefit from an additional compost/organics containers for your tenants.

A VALUED PARTNERSHIP

A bin service company such as Bay Area Bin Support is in the business of understanding the garbage industry and the local regulations to help customers benefit from certain services. Since they are on your property each week, they can relay back to you whether you need additional (or less) containers on the property to improve efficiencies. They will also communicate any issues or concerns so that they can be addressed properly.

In addition, Bay Area Bin Support can post signage in the dumpster areas to help residents know what items should go in landfill, organics and recycle which can also help reduce your trash volume. With this local company, clients have access to a customer service representative 24 hours-a-day, 7-days a week and can call at any time to troubleshoot any garbage issues on the property.

Interested in learning more? Call us at 1-888-920-2467 for a free estimate.



Landlords and property managers know very well that garbage can bring its own set of challenges and headaches for the properties they manage. From missed pick-ups, overflowing trash, messy trash enclosures to the ever-increasing fees appearing on the monthly bills.

A new service is now alleviating these problems for landlords and property managers – Bay Area Bin Support is the San Francisco Bay Area’s first push/pull bin service company specializing in bringing trash, recycle and compost containers out each week for property managers and then placing them back in place after they have been serviced. Why should landlords and property managers consider hiring a vendor for this very niche service?

Here’s a few reasons how this can service can help you:

REASON #1: SAVE $$$, AVOID INCREASING GARBAGE FEES

In 2015, Oakland was the first to feel the huge impact of “push/pull” fees when the new garbage contract took effect. Suddenly to have the garbage company pull a bin over 100 feet to the curb to be emptied was going to cost the property owner/manager almost a $1,000 per month, per bin! Check out this PDF from Oakland Recycles for a detailed explanation.

Bay Area Bin Support saves its customers nearly 75% for the same service.

In other cities, the manual labor of bringing dumpster bins and carts to the curb might be labeled backyard service, distance fees, elevation fees but the end result is the same – expensive additional fees on the monthly garbage bill to have the garbage company bring your trash out to the curb. These fees are in addition to the actual cost of dumping the garbage.

In most cases, locally-operated Bay Area Bin Support charges significantly less for the same service. The company specializes in push/pull service and offers a flat fee regardless of the distance to the curb. There are no additional key charges, elevation fees or other extra fees. BABS workers start their routes early in the morning before the garbage company and have everything (garbage, recycle and compost/organics) out to the curb in time for service. The end result is usually significant cost-savings for property managers, owners and landlords.

Interested in learning more? Call us at 1-888-920-2467 for a free onsite estimate.


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754 Whitney Street
San Leandro, CA 94577
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55 Santa Clara Avenue, Suite 140
Oakland, CA 94610

1-888-920-2467

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We proudly serve our partners in Alameda County, Contra Costa County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, San Francisco County, and the following cities across the Bay Area:

Alameda, Albany, Antioch, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Concord, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Lafayette, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Ora Loma, Palo Alto, San Francisco, San Leandro, San Mateo, San Ramon, Union City, and Vallejo.

Don’t see your city listed? Call us at 1-888-920-2467 and we’re happy to give you a free estimate.


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